October 27, 1995

Two teen-agers from Montclair pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of attempted murder and carjacking in the shooting of Sheila Gillespie, 65, in the driveway of her home in West Caldwell last March. Mrs. Gillespie lost sight in one eye as a result of the attack, after which the assailants fled in her car. The teen-agers, Hassan Cousins, 18, and Earl Bethel, 19, could each receive prison terms of more than 30 years when they are sentenced Nov. 9, said the Essex County Prosecutor, Clifford J. Minor.

At this month's meeting of the township committee, Mayor Jean Zipser showed up and Committeeman Harold Van Campen did not. So the meeting was canceled; there was no quorum. "This is what happens," sighed Ms. Zipser, who, with Mr. Van Campen, governs this isolated and rural municipality of six residents, the smallest in New Jersey. "We can't continue like this."

Within days of returning from the United States, President Boris N. Yeltsin was taken to the hospital today with his second painful episode of heart disease in the last three months. Mr. Yeltsin, who is 64, was said by Kremlin officials to have suffered a second attack of "myocardial ischemia," a shortage of oxygenated blood to the heart. Normally caused by a buildup of plaque blocking an artery, or atherosclerosis, ischemia can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Governments have made plenty of outrageous requests of their citizens, but few are as remarkable as what the Japanese Government secretly requested of tens of thousands of Japanese women 50 years ago. Six days after Japan's surrender in World War II, the Cabinet met in the Prime Minister's residence to discuss "urgent measures" that had nothing to do with the atomic bombings or the millions of homeless people or similar national crises. Instead, the Cabinet struggled with how to sate the libido of American "sex-starved soldiers."

Campaign Advice for Powell Gen. Colin Powell has been sounding out conservatives and financiers about his prospects as a Presidential candidate and the personal rigors of a campaign. Page A22. Half-Empty Glass for Wall St. Company earnings have been uexpectedly strong, but stocks have tumbled. Some investors are worried that while earnings are up, the pace of growth is slowing. Page D1. Wide U.S.Income Gap Seen A new study shows that the income gap between rich and poor was wider in the United States during the 1980's than in any other large industrialized country. Page D2.